It has been a complex two day test for Scuderia Toro Rosso in Barcelona. On Wednesday, Jean-Eric Vergne was at the wheel of the STR9 to work on next year’s tyres for Pirelli, as provided for in the Formula 1 sporting regulations. However, unseasonal weather with plenty of rain and a damp track, made life difficult. Nevertheless, the car ran reliably and Pirelli were able to get through the programme.

Today, Daniil Kvyat took over driving duties. In the morning, he completed an aero test, involving straight line constant speed running, so plenty of “in” and “out” laps. These tests involved making lengthy changes to the car, which meant not many laps were completed, although the results achieved were positive and will provide useful data for the upcoming races. At the end of the morning, Daniil did a “normal” run, which went off smoothly. After the lunch break, the programme called for modifications to the mechanical set-up on the car and these too took time. Once the car was ready, it was sent out to complete a baseline run during which a problem occurred that sidelined the car for the rest of the session.